Jilly-Bean (Jilly-Bean Series # 1) by Celia Vogel Page B

lights from the hallways illuminating kids with beet-red faces, dancing their first slow dance with the opposite sex. The first one she had been to— was it in Grade Eight? Since then she had always been cast as the perennial wallflower, looking shy and out of place, standing alone at the far end of the gymnasium while her best friends Annie and Amelia were out on the floor dancing with boys or at least with other girls. But that was then, this was now. This was different. She shut her eyes, put her hands up to her forehead and let her fingers trace over the contours of her face. She opened her eyes wide. Someone in high school had remarked that she had nice eyes. Yes, they were nice, her best feature— limpid watery cesspools the colour of green algae. Well, let's say forest green. She then reached for the Cover Girl skin foundation on the dresser and applied it liberally over the offending blemish. The finishing touch! She stared at her reflection, holding herself sideways with her head over one shoulder.
    Her mother put her head around the bedroom door, saw Jillian standing before the full-length mirror and walked over. “You look lovely, dear,” she murmured, smoothing Jillian's hair lovingly with her fingers, and then moments later she began to adjust and flatten the exaggerated puffiness of the dress around the hips in a series of finicky movements.
    “Mom, that's the look. It's supposed to be puffy.” Jillian was beginning to feel defeated. Oh no, here we go! she thought.
    Her mother was now pushing her shoulders upright, trying to make her stand straighter. Under her breath, she whispered, “Something is still not right. That haircut doesn't suit you. Of course, you'll have to let it grow out. Nothing you could do about it now.” Jillian's confidence was just about deflated.
    “Oh, but I'm not finished yet!” she replied, smiling at her mother with a brave look of defiance. Her shaky fingers took a Revlon cherry-red lipstick out of its case. It was the first time she had applied one of these things in front of her mother, and she was very careful not to slip and go outside the lip line; she watched her mother from the corner of her eye, staring at her so avidly and this brought a smile to her face.
    Her mother shrugged indifference but then became suddenly serious: “Jilly-bean, there's something I want you to have.” From her apron pocket she drew a necklace of blue peridot and yellow amber and held it up in her hand. Jillian thought it was the most delicate thing she had ever seen. She marvelled, beaming bright. “Mom, this is beautiful! I've never seen stones like these before.”
    Her mother was gazing long and intently at the necklace. “The amber and peridot are very special semi-precious stones. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they are also charms in their own right. It's written that they bring the wearer good luck. I've had this ever since I was a young girl. It's beautiful, isn't it? I want you to have it, dear.” With trembling fingers, she lowered it over Jillian's head, then put a warm motherly arm around her daughter's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.
    Jillian reached for the necklace with her fingers and stared at her reflection in silence. How beautiful! she thought. She was transformed by the semi-precious stones, which gleamed against her pale skin. She fingered them and beamed in admiration, “Oh, Mom, they are beautiful.” She turned to face her mother, who was crying in silence. “Mom, you're not crying, are you?”
    Her mother's trembling smile signalled that these were tears of joy. She paused to wipe one and answered, “No, dear, I'm not. You look so beautiful and grown up, that's all. When did my little Jilly-Bean get so big? Now, remember, don't stay out too late at the party; you'll worry your poor father.”
    As Jillian walked down the stairs, looking radiant in her yellow silk dress and amber and peridot necklace, she was greeted by her father and